An exciting day today!  But our work is just beginning.  Here’s the link to Obama’s Policy statement on the arts:

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/additional/Obama_FactSheet_Arts.pdf

I am cautiously optimistic about The Arts under Obama’s adminstration.  But we cannot relax our advocacy. If anything, we must increase our advocacy, with the knowledge that given the amazing political changes we are witnessing, the atmosphere may be more receptive to positive change regarding the arts.

We must start by admitting that The Arts will be no way near a top priority for our political leaders, especially given the financial and other crises we face (wars, healthcare, energy & the environment).  You’ll notice, if you search for the arts policy starting from the front page of http://www.barackobama.com/index.php, and hover your cursor over the “issues” tab, that “The Arts” isn’t even listed–it is buried a level deeper under “Additional Issues.” So, in my opinion, it is our job to do our best to keep the arts in the public eye, with the understanding that even under a receptive administration, it will be an uphill battle.

But “Yes We Can!”

One of my own personal crusades is the promotion of the idea that art, of all disciplines, is something relevant and important to all people, something that can benefit all members of society, no matter their level of participation in art-making.  One of the unfortunate facts about contemporary American society is that the arts tend to be tossed aside in favor of issues and programs that are “more important.”  We see this on every level: in our educational system, in public and governmental financing for the arts (especially as compared with other programs, and even other non-profit programs), in patterns of individual and corporate private giving.  We see it in the way the arts are discussed in the media, and more than that, the lack of prominence given to the arts in reporting in general.

So I’m writing this post to encourage and inspire the many artists out there in our continuing work to engage our broader communities in supporting the arts.  Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, almost by accident, I stumbled upon one of QCA’s QCAF funded events.  I was in a mood, and needed a walk, so I headed northeast from my home in Long Island City, in the vague direction of Astoria (the other usual choice for me is to head south to the Vernon/Jackson/Court Square/Hunter’s Point Area).  As I was walking up 30th Street, I suddenly remembered it was Wednesday night–and the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Queens was hosting their outdoor performance series, called “Italian Nights,” in Athens Square Park.  It was not long before I heard the music!

And saw the crowd–talk about community involvement!  Read the rest of this entry »

Part 1: Seeking the support of local businesses

A question came up in a QCAF information session for individual artist grants a few weeks ago (July 31st, 2008, at the Greater Astoria Historical Society—a special thanks to Bob Singleton for being a wonderful host!)

In our grants for individual artists, we require that applicants show 20% of their funding coming from sources other than the QCAF grant funds. There are many ways for artists to bring in additional money for their projects: donations from friends, fans, businesses, or wealthy donors, contributions from government, foundations or other grants. The question is: why should you (as an artist) be seeking money from other sources? Many artists feel that asking for money is like begging, or sullies the purity of their art or creative process, or that people should be offering them money (as proof or validation of their talent or success), rather than having to ask for it.

Read the rest of this entry »

After much anticipation, we are pleased to announce that the Queens Community Arts Fund (QCAF) online grant is available now at: http://qca.cuerate.org. Create an account and start filling out an application today! We hope you will find this system easy to use; if you have any questions, comments, or difficulty with the application please feel free to contact QCAF Director Sami Abu Shumays at sshumays@queenscouncilarts.org or 347-505-3019. Any bugs (we hope you won’t find any!) should be reported via the application system itself.

Read the rest of this entry »

We’re going through a lot of changes here at QCA, with quite a few new staff in the last year (including myself), a new website, new online grants, and (if all goes well), a new building to come in a few years.  We’re always thinking of ways to improve our programming–in particular, Chris Henderson (the arts services director) and myself will be looking for ways to integrate the arts services and granting programs more fully.

We’re always open to suggestions, but now is a very good time for us to receive some feedback from you, the artists of Queens.  What could we be doing better?  What programs would you like us to offer, that we’re not currently offering?  What have you liked/disliked about our programming over the last year?  Please make suggestions for us in the comments section!  I look forward to hearing from you.

Here are the events we’ve funded for July–an art show, a musical saw festival, an outdoor Italian performance series, a children’s performance series, and a country music show. Enjoy!
Read the rest of this entry »

An invitation by the Queens Museum of Art to artists of all media, who currently live and/or work in the borough of Queens, to have their work reviewed for possible inclusion in the exhibition.

DEADLINE: August 1, 2008 (postmarked)

for submission details: http://www.queensmuseum.org/exhibitions/qi10.htm

We’re just a week or two away from having our new online QCAF grant up and running. We’re excited about the prospect, but we realize that many people may find it confusing at first. For those who are interested in applying this year, we’ll have information sessions about the application process… see this page for the schedule:

http://www.queenscouncilarts.org/qcastatic/qcaf_info_ses.html

Here are some tips to get you started.

Read the rest of this entry »

Queens is an exciting place for art-our dynamic population has residents from all over the world, living next to each other in always unexpected combinations. QCA’s goal with the Queens Community Arts Fund is to foster a sense of community among artists of divergent backgrounds, and a greater awareness, among residents, of the artistic richness available in our borough. We fund projects in all artistic genres, and encourage artists to strive for community inclusion in their work. Read the rest of this entry »